Commonwealth of Massachusetts Virtual Schools
Final Application Review Opening School Year 2013-2014
Proposed School Name:
FINAL APPLICATION REVIEW
Massachusetts Virtual Academy at Greenfield
Commonwealth Virtual School
K-12
1250
Greenfield
2013-2014
Grades Served At Full Capacity:
Number of Students At Full Capacity:
Proposed School Location:
Proposed Opening Year:
Mission Statement:
“The mission of the pioneering Massachusetts Virtual Academy at Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual
School is to provide a standards-based, Massachusetts public education to the very small percent of
students statewide who for specific reasons could not or would not participate in their brick-and-mortar
school. A second goal is having a cost-effective virtual school model for local school districts. A third
goal is figuring out how to blend virtual education with district public school education since this
model was not available in New England.”
Proposed Growth Plan for First Five Years of Operation:
School Year
First Year
Second Year
Third Year
Grade Levels
K-12
K-12
K-12
Total Student
Enrollment
750*
1000
1250
*Only allow 9th and 10th grade student enrollment s for school
year 2013-2014, 11th and 12th graded enrollments on an exception basis
Guiding Principles and Core Values
Primary Strengths
 The application clearly identified the
populations the school plans to serve,
although it is unclear how the school will
serve each group of students. (Section I.A.)
Primary Weaknesses
 The application did not specifically address the
school’s core values. (Section I.A.)
 The guiding principles described in the
application are actually school functions, rather
than education-based principles. (Section I.A.)
 The application did not demonstrate how the
existing school improved instructional practices
based on lessons learned from its three years of
experience. (Section I.A.)
Massachusetts Virtual Academy at Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual School
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Commonwealth of Massachusetts Virtual Schools
Final Application Review Opening School Year 2013-2014
Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
Primary Strengths
Primary Weaknesses
 The application listed different instructional  Condition: Although the application included
methods that the school will use. (Section
plans for monitoring student progress,
I.B.)
intervention plans for struggling students were
unclear. (Section I.B.)
 The application described how the school
will monitor student progress. (Section I.B.)  The application was unclear regarding how the
school would migrate to the new MA standards.
(Section I.B.)
 Some MA standards were included in the K12
curriculum but taught at different grade levels
than the MA standards require, sometimes by
more than a difference of two years. (Attachment
D.)
 The English language arts curriculum did not
include the teaching of the MA standards for
speaking and listening. . (Attachment D.)
 Some MA social studies standards were not
covered. (Attachment D.)
 The health curriculum was missing many of the
MA standards for physical and ecological health.
(Attachment D.)
 The application was unclear about how self-paced
and synchronous learning opportunities would be
provided. (Section I.B.)
 The application did not provide specific details
about how school would assist students who need
additional support. (Section I.B.)
 The application did not address how hands-on
activities would be monitored for special needs
students. (Section I.B.)
 The application did not address how the school
would help facilitate the transition for students
who decide to return to their brick and mortar
school—for example, by providing a report
listing standards that the student mastered).
(Section I.B.)
Massachusetts Virtual Academy at Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual School
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Commonwealth of Massachusetts Virtual Schools
Final Application Review Opening School Year 2013-2014
Student Services and Supports
Primary Strengths
 The application included a description of
extracurricular opportunities the school will
offer; however, they are dependent on
additional funding. (Section I.C.)
Primary Weaknesses
 Condition: The application was unclear about
how English Language Learners (ELLs) would be
supported and whether the school would require
that educators have the proper
license/endorsements. (Section I.C.)
 The application did not address the qualifications
of the individuals who would provide the support
to students. (Section I.C.)
 Students’ social emotional growth did not appear
to be a priority for the school. (Section I.C.)
 The application was unclear about how the school
would support students of all ages. (Section I.C.)
Governance
Primary Strengths
 The application stated that Greenfield will
provide some services and that they will
work to ensure there is no conflict of
interest between the two school
committees. (Section II.A.)
Primary Weaknesses
 Although this has been resolved, members of the
Board of Trustees were not identified at the time
the application was submitted. (Section II.A.)
Partnerships
Primary Strengths
 Because the school plans to continue its
existing partnerships, it already has
working relationships with them. (Section
II.B.)
Primary Weaknesses
 The application referred to a possible partnership
with local YMCAs across the state, but the status
of this agreement was unclear and it was not
included in the school’s budget. (Section II.B.)
 The application lacked details regarding criteria
that were used to vet partnerships. (Section II.B.)
 The application quoted survey data but lacked
information about who participated in the survey.
(Section II.B.)
 The proposed partner has not demonstrated
positive academic results in MA and the
application did not indicate how the partner will
improve its services for students. (Section II.B.)
Massachusetts Virtual Academy at Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual School
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Commonwealth of Massachusetts Virtual Schools
Final Application Review Opening School Year 2013-2014
Staff
Primary Strengths
 The school will require certified teachers
for most curriculum areas. (Section II.C.)
 The school will recommend that teachers
have 1 to 3 years of training in virtual
teaching, if possible. (Section II.C.)
Primary Weaknesses
 The staffing plan was not complete. It was not
clear how the school would recruit teachers and
what the minimum qualifications would be.
(Section II.C.)
 Condition: The application indicated that classes
with fewer than three MA students would not be
required to have a MA certified teacher. (Section
II.C.)
 The application raised concerns with the
proposed student/teacher ratio. (Attachment E.)
School Finances
Primary Strengths
 The $5000 fee, which is based on school
choice fee, may not accurately reflect the
needs for a virtual school to provide all of
its services. (Section II.D.)
Primary Weaknesses
 The budget was unclear about what the K12
expenditures cover. Additional details are needed.
(Section II.D. and CMVS Budget Template.)
Massachusetts Virtual Academy at Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual School
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Commonwealth of Massachusetts Virtual Schools
Final Application Review Opening School Year 2013-2014
School Characteristics
Primary Strengths
 Although the program is based on a 900hour, 180-day plan, the school will offer
flexibility in the specific days of the week
that students must participate. For example,
a student may substitute a Saturday for a
Friday. (Section III.A.)
Primary Weaknesses
 Since the school did not request a seat time
waiver, it needs to clarify which options will
definitely be available to students who finish a
year’s curriculum before they have completed the
required number of seat time hours. The
application indicates only that they "may" have
supplemental work or "may" start higher level
work. (Section III.A.)
 The application was unclear about how the school
would reach out to parents/guardians who are not
English proficient. (Section III.A.)
 The application was unclear regarding how the
application lottery would be designed in order to
give priority to the targeted student population.
(Section III.A.)
 The application states, “Greenfield’s virtual
CMVS will also have a site location available for
course-taking, tutoring, and assessment overseen
by virtual school personnel.” If a physical site is
only in Greenfield, services may not be equitable
to students across the state. (Section III.A.)
School Operations
Primary Strengths
 The technical supports were clearly
described. (Section III.B.)
Primary Weaknesses
 Condition: The school has no plans for providing
meals to students outside the Greenfield area who
qualify for free and reduced price meals. (Section
III.B.)
 The school’s plans to deal with truancy were
unclear. The application narrative contradicted
the executive summary, which said that
enrollment would end after 15 days of inactivity.
(Section III.B.)
 The application was unclear about how teachers
and parents would be informed about school
policies. (Section III.B.)
Massachusetts Virtual Academy at Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual School
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Commonwealth of Massachusetts Virtual Schools
Final Application Review Opening School Year 2013-2014
Accountability Plan and Process
Primary Strengths
 Although the school has not yet developed
an accountability plan as a CMVS, it will
be able to reference the plan that was
approved when it was a Virtual Innovation
School so that it will not need to start from
scratch. (Section IV.)
Primary Weaknesses
 The application did not fully address this topic,
despite the fact that the school has been in
operation for three years. (Section IV.)
 The application referenced the school’s Virtual
Innovation School accountability plan, which has
not resulted in improvement from year to year.
Also this plan does not adhere to areas required
by the application. (Section IV.)
 The application did not indicate who will be
creating the accountability plan. (Section IV.)
Massachusetts Virtual Academy at Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual School
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